Communication capacities in students with Asperger syndrome as (un)necessary components of readiness for schooling

The preschool period is a peculiar stage of child speech and language development in terms of both quantity and quality. Children’s vocabulary increases and the semantic aspect of the words they use extends. Preschool-aged children should make utterances that are relevant to the situation and also know specific grammatical rules. This proves their maturity in this area. The quality of speech and language development shows mainly in children's ability to communicate with different people – both peers and adults. Making fluent utterances becomes noticeable in children’s school readiness. School readiness results from children’s experiences collected thanks to their own activities as well as thanks to the learning received from educational institutions (preschool, school, counseling center) and the family. According to this approach, school readiness can be understood as the preparedness of the child with Asperger syndrome for academic tasks. The literature lacks studies on school readiness in students with Asperger syndrome. School readiness is presented with reference to the developmental norm, taking into account children’s biological maturity and, at the same time, the readiness of appointed institutions and communities to support children’s capacities in individual areas. In the role of students, experiencing the world in purposely designed (academic) situations, children with Asperger syndrome may encounter difficulties. The article discusses the concept of school readiness and its components in the context of communication capacities in students with Asperger syndrome. Theoretical approaches to the elements of school readiness presented are expanded with examples of various situations in which children with Asperger syndrome showed their communication skills. The situations described in the article come from observations made as part of the authors research on support for students with autism spectrum disorders in academic situations.